


Let's Dance

by DegrassiFanatic



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort No Hurt, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28676970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DegrassiFanatic/pseuds/DegrassiFanatic
Summary: A frail hand against her forearm halts all of the racing thoughts in her head. She turns to see JJ standing beside her, staring out the window like Prentiss had been just a few moments ago. She nestles her head into Prentiss’s shoulder. Her wild hair tickles Prentiss’s neck as she makes herself comfortable.“You’re supposed to be resting.” Prentiss murmurs as she leans her head against JJ’s.“Couldn’t sleep without you.” she mumbles, “I sleep better with you there.”
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Kudos: 67





	Let's Dance

**Author's Note:**

> here you go, another jemily fic for you touch starved bitches

Through the glass pane of the window, Prentiss can spot the moon already high up in the sky, peering down at everything below. The sight of it almost soothes the ache that always resides inside of her whenever she enters a hospital through the wrong set of doors. 

Almost.

It was supposed to be her.

She was supposed to be the one all dressed up in a thin hospital gown that did nothing to ward off the chill from the air conditioning in the room. She was supposed to be the one being driven to the hospital, not the one driving. She was supposed to be the one with bruises on her ribs and her arm in a cast. 

It wasn’t supposed to be JJ. 

Dropping her gaze from the sky, Prentiss looks down at her hands and the way they’re gripping tight at the edge of the window ledge. 

And it wouldn’t have been either if JJ had just let Prentiss deal with the unsub alone, if she hadn’t tackled him down a flight of stairs. 

A frail hand against her forearm halts all of the racing thoughts in her head. She turns to see JJ standing beside her, staring out the window like Prentiss had been just a few moments ago. She nestles her head into Prentiss’s shoulder. Her wild hair tickles Prentiss’s neck as she makes herself comfortable. 

“You’re supposed to be resting.” Prentiss murmurs as she leans her head against JJ’s.

“Couldn’t sleep without you.” she mumbles, “I sleep better with you there.”

There’s no denying the undertone of vulnerability laced in her words. It always makes Prentiss awe in wonder whenever JJ so freely admits to what she is feeling.  It takes her breath away too; to be the person she is telling this to.

Prentiss turns to hold JJ’s body against her own. It’s a bit awkward with her cast being squished between the two of them but they manage just fine. She tucks JJ’s head back to where it was resting against her shoulder earlier. Her arms come to wrap around JJ’s waist and in response, JJ’s free hand goes to grasp at Prentiss’s other shoulder. 

“Let’s dance.” JJ whispers, her voice muffled against the fabric of Prentiss’s sweater.

Laughter escapes through Prentiss’s throat and the sound breaks the gentle lull that had been encompassing the two of them. 

“Why?” she asks. 

“I had a dream we were dancing.” JJ explains softly, “Then, I realized we’ve never danced before.”

“There’s no music.” Prentiss points out fondly as she looks down at the mop of blonde hair.

“We don’t need it.” 

Prentiss is lucky that JJ can’t see her rolling her eyes because she wouldn’t have hesitated to crush her toes for that.

She lets out a deep sigh before relenting to JJ’s wishes, if only because she is injured because of Prentiss. Although, she knows deep down that she would have done this for her, even if she wasn’t. 

With a firm grip around the sides of her waist, Prentiss begins leading them through a slow waltz. It makes her feel like an idiot; to be swaying around in a hospital room with no music. It makes her feel like an idiot until she hears the pleasant hum that finds it way out of JJ’s mouth as she presses even closer to Prentiss. 

“If you tell anyone about this—” 

“What?” JJ asks, cutting her off, “That you’re a big softie?”

Her face grows red and Prentiss is once again lucky that JJ cannot see her face because she would have a field day knowing she made her blush.

“A big ‘ole softie.” JJ teases, as she presses a quick kiss to the side of her neck. 

“Am not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I am not!” Prentiss whispers as loudly as she can without disrupting the gentle atmosphere. 

“Yeah, you are.” JJ repeats as she lifts her head off of Prentiss’s shoulder, “My big ‘ole softie.”

Whatever Prentiss was going to say dies down on the tip of her tongue as she stares at JJ’s face. In all honesty, she looks a little worse for wear; she’s got crust in her eyes, her hair hasn’t been brushed, and if Prentiss leans in close enough she can smell the beginnings of morning breath in her mouth.

She’s still beautiful though. She’s always been. 

“I love you.” she whispers, half into JJ’s mouth. 

They’ve never said these words to one another before but Prentiss has imagined all sorts of scenarios in which they would. One of them involves a confession over a candlelit dinner she would force Rossi to make that she would pass off as her own cooking, even though JJ would see through the blatant lie. Another one involved an accidental reveal; Prentiss would be rushing out the door and shouting out an ‘I love you’ like it was something she said everyday. 

(She certainly thinks it everyday.)

Though, in all of the scenarios she’s thought of, not one of them involved her slow dancing in a hospital room with JJ’s cast jumbled between the two of them, in the middle of a night after they wrapped up a case. 

Still, the beats all of her fantasies by a mile because this is real and this is happening

Prentiss brings her attention back to JJ’s face and watches the way her eyes light up in realization. The small grin on her face grows with each millisecond that passes by as she stares right back at Prentiss, unabashedly. 

“I love you too.” JJ answers. 

With nothing more left to say, Prentiss leans in closer and presses a chaste kiss to JJ’s mouth, relishing in the way JJ hooks her arm around the back of her neck to push them even closer. 

**Author's Note:**

> for that anon that was brave enough to send me an ask on tumblr at degrassi-fanatic


End file.
